Valletta’s top cultural spots are set to be filled with the tinkle of children’s laughter this week as the second edition of Żigużajg rolls into town.
Aimed at children and young people, the week-long arts festival seeks to stimulate imagination through music, theatre, art, animation, dance and film.
And with many of the performances wheelchair accessible and replete with sign language interpreters, festival organisers have ensured people from all walks of life can join in. The decision to ensure maximum festival accessibility was a natural one, according to Żigużajg director Toni Attard.
“This sort of thing must become a standard part of arts performances. There’s no reason why the arts can’t be tailored to ensure the disabled are able to enjoy and participate too.”
Mr Attard used restaurants as a metaphor. “Vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters can all go to the same restaurant and have a pleasant experience. Why not the arts?”
With few local examples to go on, Żigużajg inclusive platform coordinator Lou Ghirlando had to think long and hard about how to make already-existing performances accessible. “Wheelchair access is already tricky in some of the venues, such as the National Library. But how do you make a performance accessible to, say, an autistic child? And how do you gauge that accessibility?” she said.
The heady task was made easier by the performers, Ms Ghirlando said. “Some were resistant to the idea because they were concerned sign language interpreters would disrupt the flow. But most were extremely enthusiastic.”
A public seminar set to be held on Wednesday at the Mediterranean Conference Centre will further explore Żigużajg’s accessibility platform and help artists come up with ways of making their work more inclusive.
And Ms Ghirlando was eager to point out that disabled people were not just capable of appreciating art – they could just as ably create it.
“People assume such art exists for the disabled performers’ benefit, as some form of therapy. There’s this pervading idea that people with disability have nothing to offer us artistically. And that’s absolutely not true.”
Latecomers to the Żigużajg festival are likely to be disappointed, as almost all the performances are already fully booked. The few tickets still up for grabs can be booked on the festival website, www.ziguzajg.org. Those in need of sign language interpretation should e-mail ziguzajg.admin@sjcav.org and specify their requirements.